The „Baby Benz” – that‘s what the Mercedes-Benz 190 of the W 201 series has come to be called affectionately. It was the company‘s advance into a new market segment, below their established luxury and mid-range models. Design for the car, which was presented in 1982 and available only as a 4-door sedan, came from Bruno Sacco. Emphasis during development was put on passive safety, lightweight design and aerodynamics: Despite its somewhat square-shape appearance, the 190 boasted a drag coefficient of 0.33. Ride quality and directional stability were improved by the purpose-built independent multilink rear suspension. The model range comprised entry-level cars with 66 kW (90 hp) as well as motorsport homologation vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II with up to 173 kW (235 hp) of power. The W201 saw two model facelifts in 1988 and 1991, and sales had reached a total figure of nearly 1.9 million units by the time production was halted in 1993 after the introduction of the first C-Class (W202). Unforgotten are the 190’s successes in motorsport, most notably Klaus Ludwig‘s victory of the German Touring Car Championship in 1992 with his Evo II.